ulia
Roberts, the most famous, highest-paid actress of her
generation playing … a high-paid, world-famous movie
star? It may not sound like much of a stretch, but the
31-year-old Roberts — who portrays film diva Anna
Scott alongside Hugh Grant's modest, struggling London
bookstore owner in this week's Notting Hill — begs to
differ. As she goes about doing publicity for Notting
Hill, which was written by Richard Curtis (Four
Weddings and Funeral), Roberts is keenly aware that
parallels will be drawn between her and her infamous,
drop-dead gorgeous, and (most importantly) temperamental
character. But she's cool with that — kind of.

Roberts, whose recent mega-deal for Erin Brockovich
put her on a par with the Hollywood Boys Club — the $20
million-a-picture gang that includes the likes of
Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey, and Will Smith —
supposedly still rides the New York subway and says celebrity
really hasn't changed her all that much. That's why the
actress understandably wants the world to recognize that she
is giving a performance rather than doing a walk-through
in Notting Hill. But while taking the role of Anna
Scott may have been a risky choice for such a
high-profile star, everyone seems to agree that the risk
paid off for Roberts, who gives one of the best performances
of her career in the film.

While the numerous apt similarities between Roberts
and her character may be mostly superficial, Anna does share
the actress's bumpy travails as a public figure. In Roberts'
decade-long roller coaster ride with fame, her
professional hits and flops have always been overshadowed by
her string of broken engagements (Kiefer Sutherland and Dylan
McDermott), relationships (Jason Patric, Daniel
Day-Lewis, Matthew Perry), and her divorce (Lyle Lovett).
Her current romance with the stunning Benjamin Bratt is no
exception, particularly since his leaving Law &
Order has some wondering what the couple plans to do next.
(The pairing of the real-life loves during May sweeps
brought the show its highest ratings in three years.)